Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Test your Iron IQ with this quick quiz (answers below):
- What is the main purpose of iron?
- To remove oxygen
- To carry oxygen
- To remove damaged cells
- To carry glucose
- What are signs you aren't getting enough iron?
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Difficulty maintaining body temperature
- All of the above
- How many types of iron are there?
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- How much iron do you need each day?
- 8-18mg
- 8-18g
- 800-1800mg
- None of the above
- What vitamin aids in the absorption of iron?
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Which of these are natural food sources of iron?
- Poultry, Red Meat, and Fish
- Whole Grains
- Beans, Seeds, and Lentils
- All of the above
Answers:
- The main purpose of iron is to B. carry oxygen (iron binds to oxygen and together they "hitch" a ride on the hemoglobin of your red blood cells) to your cells so that they can produce energy. Iron also happens to carry the carbon dioxide away from your cells so that your lungs can properly dispose of it. By not consuming enough iron each day, the body will have a hard time getting enough oxygen to function at its highest ability. This can drastically reduce a person's metabolism by slowing the function of cells.
- Some signs that you're not getting enough iron are D. All of the above, which makes sense if your cells are not able to produce energy, you would certainly experience weakness and fatigue. The sensation of cold, especially in hands and feet, often results from not enough hemoglobin to reach these extremities.
- There are B. Two types of iron: heme and non-heme. Heme iron simply means when it is ingested, it's already in the form needed to create/complete hemoglobin and is much easier to absorb and use than non-heme. Heme is found in animals and non-heme is found in plants.
- Depending on your age and gender, most people need between A. 8-18mg of iron per day. Here are the current recommendations (as per the NIH):
| Age | Male | Female | Pregnancy | Lactation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth to 6 months | 0.27 mg* | 0.27 mg* | ||
| 7–12 months | 11 mg | 11 mg | ||
| 1–3 years | 7 mg | 7 mg | ||
| 4–8 years | 10 mg | 10 mg | ||
| 9–13 years | 8 mg | 8 mg | ||
| 14–18 years | 11 mg | 15 mg | 27 mg | 10 mg |
| 19–50 years | 8 mg | 18 mg | 27 mg | 9 mg |
| 51+ years | 8 mg | 8 mg |
- The vitamin that aids the absorption of iron is C. Vitamin C, particularly with plant-based iron sources.
- Iron can be found in D. All of the above. It's important to get a variety of iron sources to ensure your body will have what it needs when it needs it to be available. To give you an idea of how much iron certain foods contain, here is part of the chart developed by the NIH that shows some of the top iron-rich foods:
| Food | Milligrams per serving | Percent DV* |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast cereals, fortified with 100% of the DV for iron, 1 serving | 18 | 100 |
| Oysters, eastern, cooked with moist heat, 3 ounces | 8 | 44 |
| White beans, canned, 1 cup | 8 | 44 |
| Chocolate, dark, 45%–69% cacao solids, 3 ounces | 7 | 39 |
| Beef liver, pan fried, 3 ounces | 5 | 28 |
| Lentils, boiled and drained, ½ cup | 3 | 17 |
| Spinach, boiled and drained, ½ cup | 3 | 17 |
| Tofu, firm, ½ cup | 3 | 17 |
| Kidney beans, canned, ½ cup | 2 | 11 |
| Sardines, Atlantic, canned in oil, drained solids with bone, 3 ounces | 2 | 11 |
| Chickpeas, boiled and drained, ½ cup | 2 | 11 |
| Tomatoes, canned, stewed, ½ cup | 2 | 11 |
| Beef, braised bottom round, trimmed to 1/8" fat, 3 ounces | 2 | 11 |
| Potato, baked, flesh and skin, 1 medium potato | 2 | 11 |
| Cashew nuts, oil roasted, 1 ounce (18 nuts) | 2 | 11 |